We are fast approaching the start of a college football season unlike any other, ever. The combination of conference realignment and playoff expansion has set the stage for three months of drama that will far exceed anything the 155-year-old sports has known. Keeping up with all the changes isn’t easy. Here’s a handy guide to … Read more
The Hotline mailbag publishes weekly. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline. Please note: Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity. Media dollars aside, except for their impact on recruiting, which of the Pac-12’s departing schools will benefit the most (and least) from the move to … Read more
The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a regular dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports. He submitted the following report on March 28 … The Trojans’ big stand Back in the 2000s, when Pete Carroll and USC reigned supreme … Read more
Anywhere else, a contract extension unsigned for 362 days would be cause for pause. But at Arizona State, where the football recruiting scandal has lasted three years and the athletic director chair has been vacant for four months, the delay feels more like standard fare. Also, it adds an incremental amount of uncertainty to Bobby … Read more
Arizona wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 tournament on Thursday night at UCLA but lost its grip on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night at USC. As a result of their double-digit loss in the Galen Center, the Wildcats relinquished ground to Tennessee and North Carolina in … Read more
Washington State and Oregon State won control of the Pac-12’s governing board late last year. They agreed to football scheduling partnerships with the Mountain West for two years and placed their basketball teams and Olympic sports in the West Coast Conference. They cut ties with Pac-12 commissioner George Kliavkoff, promoted his deputy, Teresa Gould, and … Read more
One month after Arizona surprised the college sports world by firing athletic director Dave Heeke, the Wildcats produced another plot twist. The appointment of Missouri’s Desiree Reed-Francois as Heeke’s replacement on Monday was a multi-level whopper with loads of unanswered questions. How were the Big 12-bound Wildcats able to lure away an athletic director from … Read more
The Big Ten coaching carousel finally came to a halt earlier this week when longtime member UCLA named DeShaun Foster as the replacement for Chip Kelly. The Bruins join Michigan, Washington, Indiana and Michigan State as the schools entering the Big Ten’s new era with new coaches. (Technically, Northwestern is doing the same with David … Read more
Recapping the on-court action across the Pac-12 … Theme of the week: Clarity arrives The conference race is finally taking shape — it only took seven weeks — after Arizona, Washington State and UCLA all produced road sweeps. As a result, the Wildcats are alone in first place with a one-game lead over the Cougars, … Read more
The Big Ten and SEC announced on Friday the formation of a joint advisory group designed “to address the significant challenges facing college athletics and the opportunities for betterment of the student-athlete experience.” Comprised of university presidents and athletic directors, the group will have no authority to act. Its members, charter and timetable “have yet … Read more